I'll be honest. Even though I've heard each and every Queensryche album, the last one I bought was Tribe. I hadn't liked the previos two discs before that one either, so I just gave up on them. Up to (and including Promised Land) everything they have done remains untouchable in my book.

That said, I had no idea Queensryche could release such an abysmal album. This is the lowest of the low, the worst of the worst. It is obvious this band is Queensryche in name only. Geoff Tate brings back Kelly Gray as well as another bunch of 'outsiders' in order to write the most hideous album of his career. From the awful opener "Get Started" to the horrific "Got It Bad" (is this the worst song ever?) to the ridiculously pathetic "Luvn' U" and "Wot We Do" as well as the final song "Big Noize" (yeah, right), this has got to be a joke. I refuse to accept that either Tate's solo album or Q2K were as embarrassing as these. *Everything* is compressed to the max and mastered so loud that no matter how you play these songs, be it on headphones, your main system, or your car, it sounds like your ears are being raped by a huge, messy bass-driven sound and Tate's semi-sung, semi-spoken drivel. He simply gives a half-hearted performance here. At least he could have put some passion into his singing, as I still hold the view that he has a rich voice he could make use of with the right material. Wilton hasn't written or co-written anything on this one, and I doubt he would have been interested. As a result, his guitar is hardly audible in the mix, and some songs are so bass-centric that there is no room for the guitars. I'm not saying he should have had more creative input or Chris DeGarmo should come back, because honestly, no one can save this band anymore. Not even Tate himself.

Queensryche: Dedicated to ChaosPosted by Jeff B, SoT Staff Writer on 2011-07-21 11:42:19My Score: Queensr˙che's last effort, American Soldier, was one that, despite all of the negative hype surrounding it, I actually enjoyed quite a bit. Although nowhere near the heights of Operation: Mindcrime or Empire, I thought it was a generally high-quality concept album with a few excellent songs that were on par with the band's classic material. Dedicated to Chaos has been met with even more negative attention than 2009's American Soldier, and (unfortunately) I agree with it this time around. This is an extremely weak effort that is far too uninspired and generic to impress even the most die-hard Queensr˙che fan - really a shame after the massive step forward that was American Soldier. Dedicated to Chaos is a very low point in Queensr˙che's discography, and I can only hope that they recover from this artistic disaster next time around. Unless generic metal riffs, straightforward song structures, and uninspired lyrics are your preferred poison, I'd have a tough time recommending this to even the most hardcore Queensr˙che fans.

The music on Dedicated to Chaos is similar to Queensr˙che's sound on their previous few albums. Expect grunge-tinged alternative metal with very few influences from progressive metal and traditional heavy metal - this truly sounds nothing like the band that made Operation: Mindcrime, and those who are expecting a traditional/prog metal album should look elsewhere. Although I'm certainly open to the band's ever-evolving sound and change in direction, I can't help but feel that they've lost a bit of their inspiration along the way. The vast majority of Dedicated to Chaos consists of generic riffs and surprisingly uninspired vocal performances from Geoff Tate - a bit shocking when considering what a powerful and emotional vocalist he can be. There really are only a few songs on this album that are decent ("Around the World", "Hard Times", and "Big Noize" come to mind), and even they aren't great or anything. Dedicated to Chaos also sports some of the band's most horrendous lyrics to date - just take one listen to "Hot Spot Junkie" and you'll catch my drift. How could this be the same band that previously wrote genius concept albums with stories that compete with the best ever written?

One annoying feature about Dedicated to Chaos is the horrible-sounding production. The mix sounds just terrible to these ears, with everything (particularly the drums and bass) mixed so loud to the point that it lacks emotion. Guitar parts are nearly inaudible at times, and the vocals are mixed too high as well. Giving already generic music an uninspired and generic production is not a plus in my book.

Dedicated to Chaos is not a successful album from almost every aspect. The uninspired arrangements, weak lyrics, terrible production, and simplistic compositions make this possibly the worst Queensr˙che effort to date. It will take a real boost of inspiration to recover from this disaster. I hate to do this to one of my once-favorite bands, but the most I can give out here is 1.5 stars. If not for the few decent tracks, you could easily subtract that extra half-star. Dedicated to Chaos is only for the most die-hard of Queensr˙che fans, and I have a feeling that even they will be disappointed. Along with Morbid Angel's recent disaster, this can currently be considered the biggest let-down of 2011. Sorry guys - I really wanted to like this album. Maybe next time.

» Reader Comments:

Queensryche: Dedicated to ChaosPosted by Bobby aka:Metalrob4662 on 2011-07-26 13:46:55My Score: I'm very disappointed with this album, then again they haven't put out anything great in a long time, I did like "Some" of American Soldier, but not enough to warrant it more than 3 stars.
This album is just plain terrible, what happened to the Queenryche that wrote songs like Warning and Take Hold the Flame, The Pagans Mind album reminds me of then older queenryche era, I think I'll stick with them. Sorry mr tate

Queensryche: Dedicated to ChaosPosted by Jordan Farquharson on 2011-07-15 19:53:41My Score: I am actually liking Dedicated To Chaos. I have every QR Studio album from The Warning to American Solider, excluding Q2K, Tribe, and MC II. I like all that I have. I applaud QR for taking chances and delivering something upbeat and something to dance to. Sure, the lyrics may be not as thought-provoking as their other lyrics, but maybe the band just wanted to be more simple and direct with their lyrics this time around. I actually like the references to wifi and YouTube. Maybe QR are just old-school thinkers confused by all the new technology Technology has been the subject some QR lyrics. I see this as a cd like Hot Space from Queen or the '90s albums that U2 made. Some of it even reminded me of the posthumously released solo stuff Michael Hutchence. Maybe my opinion will change?

Queensryche: Dedicated to ChaosPosted by Shawn Gordon on 2011-07-03 18:09:53My Score: I'm a BIG QR fan, and I've got to totally disagree, I love this album more than a lot of what they've done since Promised Land. Not every song is great, and none are as memorable as OM or Empire, but this is a good album. My suggestion would be to check out whatever audio samples are available on Amazon or what have you to see what you think.

Queensryche: Dedicated to ChaosPosted by Willie Toro on 2011-06-29 19:23:05My Score: Wow. Is it that bad? I haven't heard it yet but I'm not sure I want to after this review.

Queensryche: Dedicated to ChaosPosted by Karl Jones on 2011-06-29 16:08:35My Score: Unfortunately, I agree with the reviewers every comment and I wish that I had seen the interview with Geoff Tate before I decided to shell out for this CD..I loved Queensryche, but they should now call it a day or at least change their name.

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